A variety of situations being managed or undertaken include a great deal of information. On one end of a spectrum, large situations may include the likes of large scale construction projects, response activities, and recovery activities. Some examples of a large scale construction projection include construction of a bridge or a multi-story building. Some examples of response activities include response to disaster situations such as fires, on going floods, ongoing hurricanes, and ongoing military or police/fire operations. Some examples of disaster recovery activities include the coordination of agencies, businesses, media, workers, and volunteers in the cleanup following a large oil spill or in the recovery efforts after a hurricane, tornado, or earthquake or other natural disaster.
Moreover, in the information age even small situations, on the other end of a spectrum, can include a large volume of information. Small situations may include, among other things, smaller versions of the projects/activities described above. An example of a small project is a small scale new construction project, such as construction of a house. Another example of a small project is a small scale infrastructure improvement project, such as resurfacing of a city street. An example of a small activity is a social or entertainment venue, such as an outdoor wedding or concert. An example of small recovery activity can include cleanup activities following a train derailment in a rural location.
A situation, large or small, may include, among other information: data from government sources such as approval to build or operate and/or information regarding government inspections, reports, or emergency responses; finance and budget data; data from engineers regarding the situation (e.g., design drawings); requests for data from an owner, customer, or other party interested in the situation; data from a site supervisor of the situation; data from workers involved with the situation; data regarding equipment being used; alerts regarding the situation; environmental data (e.g., weather); personnel data; progress data; event data; and situation diary/notebook data.
Keeping track of information associated with one or more situations can be a complex endeavor. Moreover, such information is typically diverse and from a variety of sources. This means that a variety of data formats and access methods (i.e., software utilities) may be required in order to make use of the information, thus complicating the task of effectively utilizing the information. Throughout the lifespan of the situation, different information may be required by different entities that are involved, however, it is not always known in advance what information will be needed by what entity at what point in time. Because of these factors, large amounts of information related to a situation can become unwieldy to manage, access, and exploit, thus resulting in information being stored and/or cobbled together in fashions that are neither efficient nor particularly useful for those requiring the information for decision making or other purposes.